The official website of Cat's Meow Veterinary Clinic and Gayle Robison, DVM.

Monday, July 20, 2009

We're Havin' A Heat Wave, A Terrible Heat Wave......

Just a reminder during this very hot summer weather that our kitties need close attention to make sure they stay cool and safe.

If you have central AC, make sure your system is working well and can keep your home at 80F or less. Young, healthy cats can handle somewhat higher temps (mine at home don't wilt until it hits 88F), but elderly, sick, overweight, and stressed cats have a reduced ability to compensate for environmental issues such as extreme heat. If you have a window or wall unit, leave it on during the day so kitty has a cool spot to lay in front of it - I leave mine set at 84F, but it's very comfy and nice in that spot and I don't have to try (and fail miserably) to keep the entire place cool by running both units full blast.

Make sure your cats have clean, fresh water available at all times, and if they have increased needs due to kidney disease or diabetes, put an extra bowl down.

Don't leave your cat parked in your car alone for even a few minutes. If you have picked kitty up here or from the groomer, go straight home and then leave again to complete any necessary errands. Hot weather like we are having can kill very quickly.

For any cats who need to be in our hospital, rest assured we have excellent air conditioning, and the back of the hospital always stays nice and cool even if the waiting room gets a little warm. We have only had to clear out and close down due to power failure and AC loss once in 18 years (June 2008) and hope that never happens again!

About Cat's Meow Veterinary Clinic

Cat's Meow Veterinary Clinic opened as the San Fernando Valley's first FELINE-EXCLUSIVE practice in 1991. For the safety and comfort of our feline patients, we are a DOG-FREE environment, so please keep the pups at home.

We are located at 19909 Ventura Blvd in Woodland Hills, CA, three blocks east of Winnetka Ave on the north side of the street.

Dr. Gayle Robison received her DVM from Colorado State University in 1982. She has been in private practice in Southern California since 1983 and opened Cat's Meow Veterinary Clinic in 1991. She is cat mother to Hobie and Momo.